A Moment Alone
by kisa-kara-chan
Summary: Junko, Finn, Radarr and Stork are heading down to Tropica for a little R&R time. Aerrow stays on board with Piper on the Condor and takes care of her as she's catching a cold. Will they both finally get the guts to tell each other how they really feel?AxP


**So... it's been a while since I've updated anything. And this is the oneshot request by ~German Mickey in response to being runner-up in my early-on New Year contest. The pairing is obviously AerrowxPiper and I've tried my best to work with it well. **

**Please please please R&R! Much appreciated!**

**Disclaimer: Storm Hawks (c) Nerd Corps and Ace Fipke**

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**A Moment Alone**

"TROPICA!!!!" Finn yelled excitedly.

"Great..." Piper muttered, rolling golden eyes as she watched the blonde walk off the Bridge so he could pack all of his surfing gear and such.

A redhead Sky Knight chuckled at his teammate's expression. "It's okay Piper, I'll stay with you on board the Condor while the rest of the guys go chill out on Tropica," he reassured.

"You don't have to do that for me, Aerrow," the navigator replied, trying to cover up a cough, as well as a blush, " You go have fun. I'm sure Radarr wants you to go too."

He narrowed his emerald eyes worriedly. "Don't try to hide that cough. I can tell that you're beginning to catch a cold or something, so I'll stay with you on board the Condor. Radarr is fine with my absence, honest," he assured, giving her his lopsided smile, "I'll take care of you."

She shot him a smile in return. "Thanks Aerrow. I'll try not to be a handful," she replied, coughing quietly into her hand.

"Come on, go get some rest in your room, the others are going to leave soon and we'll remain over near Tropica. I'll take care of you if anything happens. I think there's still some medicine in the left cupboard of the kitchen, so go take some before you crash. It should be helpful for you," he ordered.

"But-" she began loudly.

"No 'buts'," he retorted sharply, "that's an order from your commanding officer. Now I expect that you should obey me too. Right, Piper? A navigator is only good as long as she listens and obeys her commanding officer and Sky Knight."

Piper returned him a weak smile and nodded, heading off towards the kitchen to get the medicine from the cabinet.

Aerrow stared after her, concern shining in his green eyes. _Hmm... maybe I should make the others stay and help me take care of Piper. But then again, the guys have been deserving of a break lately, but so does Piper. Ah well... I'll make it up to her somehow after she gets better,_ he thought confidently, _Now, the others should be just about ready to take the skimmers and leave. Well... I'll just go see them off in the Hangar Bay._

He headed off to the Hangar Bay and saw Junko, Finn, Radarr and Stork pack on their last items onto their skimmers. Stork had decided to pack a _huge_ backpack onto his Stork-mobile, while the others secured their stuff on their Air Skimmers.

"You sure you don't wanna come with us to Tropica?" Junko inquired as they mounted their rides.

The Sky Knight nodded. "Yeah, I think Piper's coming down with something, and so I'll stay here and take care of her," he responded, "You guys go on ahead and have fun. I'll give you guys a call if something should come up and there are Cyclonians. Keep your communicators nearby in case we need to contact you, okay?"

"Don't worry, Aerrow," Stork reassured, "We're doomed anyway. _You're_ the one that should be careful. Who knows what Piper could be catching? It could be contagious, and _deadly_."

Aerrow blinked before chuckling quietly, "Don't worry Stork. I'm pretty sure that Piper doesn't have anything that will kill any of us, nor _will_ have anything that will kill her and or me."

"Are you sure you don't wanna come, dude?" Finn asked once more, "You'd be missing Tropica to stay here and take care of Piper."

The redhead nodded. "It's either that or else we all stay and take care of Piper while heading over to Terra Atmosia for a briefing before heading off to Cyclonia," he threatened half-heartedly, "Hey, it might be the chance for me to finally put the Dark Ace in his place."

"No, no, no," he replied quickly, "I-It's okay. Take care of Piper." Then he revved up his ride. "We'll see you later, Aerrow."

Radarr quickly ran over and hugged his best friend around the neck before jumping back onto Junko's skimmer. The Sky Knight watched as his friends and squadron members drove out of the Hangar Bay and down to the terra below.

Aerrow closed off the Hangar Bay doors and headed over to Piper's room to see whether she returned to rest yet. When he arrived, he found her room to be empty.

_Weird,_ he thought, _she should be here by now. Maybe she's still in the kitchen._

When he arrived at the kitchen, he found Piper's unconscious form on the cold metal floor.

"Piper!" he exclaimed, stooping down to her side and picking her up into his arms.

He found her breathing normal, but her forehead was warm and her skin deathly cold. "You're catching a fever it seems," he muttered to himself, lifting her effortlessly in his arms, "Let's take you back to your room, then I'll see what I can do for you."

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After Aerrow set Piper back onto her bed in her room, he placed a cool wet cloth onto her forehead and tucked her under the covers.

"Don't worry, Piper. I'll take care of you," he reassured quietly, gently resting a kiss on her cheek.

The navigator stirred and half-opened her tangerine eyes. "A-Aerrow?" she murmured.

He smiled in return. "Piper," he breathed quietly, "You're finally awake. Had me worried there for a moment."

"W-What happened?" she inquired tiredly.

"You tell me," he replied hotly, "I found _you_ passed out on the kitchen floor."

Her cheeks began to show a tint of pink. "O-Oh really? H-How did I get here then?" she asked.

He chuckled, successfully concealing a blush. "I carried you here, of course!" he answered, grinning. He placed a hand on her cheek. "Are you feeling any better?" he asked, changing the subject.

Her eyes fluttered and met his emerald ones. "N-N-Not really..." she sighed, "I just feel really... really... sick..."

"Shhh..." Aerrow whispered gently, placing two fingers over her lips, "Don't worry. I'll take care of you. You'll be better in no time, you'll see."

She exhaled deeply, a small smile flashing across her delicate features. "Thanks, Aerrow," she replied, closing her eyes.

"Piper? You still awake with me?" he murmured, resting a gentle kiss onto her cheek. She stirred in response. "I love you, you know that? I've always wanted to tell you that, but I've never had the guts to do so until now. So, I just wanted you to know that I love you." When he looked, he found her sound asleep and sighed, "Oh... so close..." Then he gently kissed her forehead and left her room. _Maybe next time,_ he thought, walking onto the Bridge.

Back inside Piper's room, Piper opened her eyes and smiled. She had heard what Aerrow had said to her before he left, and in truth, she felt completely the same way about him. "I love you too, Aerrow," she whispered gently, closing her eyes and pulling the covers closer.

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Later that night, Piper had recovered but was still in no state to be doing chores. The boys were still down on Tropica, and Aerrow had taken good care of her for the time being. Piper stood on the balcony of the Condor, staring up into the stars, a light blanket draped over her shoulders.

Aerrow walked out to meet her, an extra blanket in his hands. He draped it over her shoulders. "Hey," he greeted, "Feeling better?"

She nodded. "I feel a lot better now, especially with the fresh air. It's really relaxing," she replied simply before leaning against his shoulder, "Thanks for the extra blanket, Aerrow."

He looked at her with sparkling emerald eyes. "Piper... I..." he began.

She smiled at him and gently planted a quick kiss on his lips. "I love you too," she muttered to him, and chuckled at his surprised yet shocked look, "I heard what you said when you were with me in my room."

"W-What? But how? You were asleep!" he countered, still a bit surprised.

She grinned sheepishly. "I was faking it... kind of," she admitted, "I wanted to know what you were going to say." Then she wrapped her arms around his neck, smiling. "You know what? I love you too."

He kissed her unhurriedly. "I heard you the first time," he informed her, "in case you didn't know."

"I know. I was just making sure," she replied, smiling, "So... what are we going to tell the others about _us_?"

He smiled and kissed her again. "Whatever they want to hear," he answered, wrapping his arms around her waist, "I love you Piper. I always have and I always will."

She chuckled quietly, "That's sweet, Aerrow. I love you too."

He brushed away a lock of midnight blue hair and bent down to meet her lips with his own, closing deep emerald eyes.

Aerrow, Sky Knight and leader of the new Storm Hawks Squadron, descendant of the old Storm Hawks, and Piper, navigator and tactics of the new Storm Hawks, had _finally_ admitted their true feelings for each other. Who knew that the two only needed their _moment alone_....

**THE END**

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**Well... I hope that was good enough for your AerrowxPiper loving standards. :D. Oh, and PM me if you want to request a possible oneshot and I'll reply to you as soon as possible!**

**Please Review!**


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